Sheet counter and tab inserter

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for placing markers such as paper tabs between stacked articles to segregate them into counted groups and more specifically an improved portable sheet counter and tab inserter for automatically counting and dividing stacks of paper sheets into counted groups by placing a strip of paper atop the stack and then cutting the strip to form a tab whereby the length of the tab is precise and readily adjustable and the time delay between the placing of the strip and the cutting of the strip to form the tab can be simply and easily altered.

United States Patent [72] Inventor EdwardJ.McCool Philadelphia, Pa. 211 Appl. No. 724,518 22 Filed Apr. 26, 1968 [45] Patented Jan. 19,1971 [73] Assignee American Type Founders Co., inc.

Franklin, Tenn.

a corporation of Delaware [54] SHEET COUNTER AND TAB INSERTER 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I 2,570,306 10/1951 Battersby 2,629,300 2/1953 Smith 93/93(1) 2,666,372 1/1954 Lauffer.... 93/93( 1) 2,795,172 6/1957 Hanson 93/93( 1) 2,837,016 6/1958 .leziersky t. 93/93( 1) Primary Examiner-H. A. Kilby, Jr. Attorney-Cushman, Darby and Cushman ABSTRACT: Apparatusfor placing markers such as paper tabs between stacked articles to segregate them into counted groups and more specifically an improved portable sheet counter and tab inserter for automatically counting and dividing stacks of paper sheets into counted groups by placing a strip of paper atop the stack and then cutting the strip to form t a tab whereby the length of the tab is precise and readily adjustable and the time delay between the placing of the strip and the cutting of the strip to form the tab can be simply and easily altered.

SHEET COUNTER AND TAB INSERTER A DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In many industries it is desirable to count articles which are being stacked and to divide them'into groups having a given number of articles for subsequent disposal. This need is especially applicable to sheets of paper'delivered individually to a pile from a printing press or other sheet handling devices. In

. order to divide such sheets into groups'having equal numbers of sheets so as to facilitate counting. packaging, etc. it has been common practice to count the sheets as they are being stacked and to place marking tabs such as small slips of paper on the uppermost sheet of a counted group so that each tab is partially covered and held in place by sheets placed atop it but remains in an overhanging position along an edge of the pile to provide a physical and visual determination of the counted groups. i

One method of accomplishing this grouping is to manually count the sheets as they are placed on the stack and then to manually insert a paper tab or other marker at a given count. However, besides being inefficient and expensive, the speed of many printing presses and similar devices makes accurate counting difficult. Furthermore, manual handling of freshly printed material may result in considerable spoilage.

Several different types of automatic counters and tab inserters have been developed and utilized in the prior art. Many of these devices are portable and adaptable for use with a variety of types and sizes of sheets of paper and other articles and have gained wide acceptance and :use. One such automatic sheet counter and tab inserter is. fully described in Lauffer U.S. Pat. No. 2,666,372 issued Jan, 19,1954.

However, such prior art devices such as the device disclosed in the aforementioned Lauffer patent have a number of disadvantages. For example, with the Lauffer device it is difficult to control the precise length of the tab being inserted and even more difficult to change that length. When a tab is to be inserted into the stack, the Lauffer deviceactivates a solenoid which then pulls a rack, engaging a piston through a clutch which in turn drives a feed roller. A continuous strip of paper from a roll wound on a re'elmounted on the device is threaded between the driver roller and a second passive roller'so that the rotation of the driven roller advances the strip of paper, by unwinding the reel, into a position atop the last and uppermost sheet in a given group. The strip of paper is then subsequently cut to leave a tab between the sheets.

The advance of the paper strip andhence the length of the tab is thenprimarily determined by the amountof overtravel of the driven roller and the friction of the paper strip. Since this friction varies with the amount of paper remaining on the roll, the type of paper, as well as several other variables, the length of the tab inserted tends to also vary as the roll of paper unwinds and as other variables change. Furthermore, in the Lautfer device the length of the tab inserted cannot be manually adjusted without great difficulty.

ln contrast, the improved device of the present invention utilizes a motor to drive a similar roller to advance the paper strip directly onto the stack. The operating time of the motor determines the length of the tab inserted and can be determined by an adjustable electronic circuit or other suitable means. Thus, the advance of the paper strip and hence the tab length can be very precisely determined in advance and simply altered as desired by varying the time'during which the motor drives the roller.

In the aforementioned Lauffer patent the paper strip is cut leaving a tab between the proper sheets by the action of a knife solenoid after the strip has been suitably advanced and covered by a number of sheetsrThe time between the feeding of the paper strip onto the pile and the operation of the cutoff mechanism which determines how many sheets of paper are stacked on top of the tab before the strip is cut is determined by attaching a lead to one of a few positions on a stepping switch inside the casing. This time then can be altered only by dismantling the apparatus and attaching the lead to a different position. 7

The improved device of the present invention allows this time interval between the insertion of the tab and the cutting of the paper strip to be precisely set atany given value and changed at will. This flexibility then allows the cutting action to occur after any given number of sheets have fallen atop of the strip. Since the number of sheets necessary to retain the tab in the stack varies with the type of paper, the size of the .tab and other variables this ability to adjust this time interval improves the ability of the device to operate in any situation.

In addition, in the embodiment described below, the improved device of the present invention connects the actual counting switch, such as a microswitch located on the arm of the printing press first to a Schmidt Trigger circuit which is then connected to the counter. This arrangement ensures that only one pulse will be produced for each closing of the microswitch even if the microswitch should remain closed due to machine failure or the like.

Furthermore, the improvements incorporated into the device of the present invention make the device easier to load with a new roll of paper than other prior art devices. A feed button or switch located on the front of the device causes the feed motor to drive the roller continuously when operated so that the end of the paper strip can be manually laced between the rollers and then automatically advanced completely through the device until the end passes the cutoff knife. When the button or switch is then released the knife operates and the device is then prepared to begin counting and inserting tabs. A tab can be inserted into the stack at any time without disturbing the count by using a feed button or switch to cause the motor to advance the strip of paper.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will become clear after reading the following detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference is now made to FIG. I which shows one embodiment of the improved automatic sheet counter and tab in- I serter of the present invention. This device can be used with any type of production paper or the like from fine writing paper to mattress cartons and, is compact, streamlined, highly portable and dependable. Although, the preferred embodiment is described in relation to counting sheets of paper, no such limitation is intended nor required; the improvements described herein can be used with any similar device for counting any of a variety of stacked articles and segregating them into counted groups.

A heavy circular base 20 supports the sheet counting and tab inserting mechanism 21, and prevents it from being easily tipped over. Attached to the base 20 is a telescopic supporting member 22 which allows the sheet counter to be used with many different machines by simply adjusting the head 24 to any desired height. The head 24 is supported on a ball joint connector 26 which facilitates the feeding of tabs at any angle by allowingthe head to tilt and move both laterally and vertically. The ball joint connector 26 and the telescopic supporting member 22 together allow the device to be used with practically any device which is stacking paper.

Mounted on top of the ball joint connector 26 is the movable head 24 which contains the mechanisms for counting and inserting tabs including the electronic circuitry 25. The electronic circuitry 25 merely represents the elements shown in FIG. 3 and the operation of the circuitry is described in detail below.

A portion of the casing 28 ofthe head 24 has been removed so that the feeding mechanism can be clearly seen. A roll of suitable tab material 30, such as paper, which may be Bristol board or the like is mounted on a reel 32 and one end is threaded into the head 24. Within the head 24 the tab material 30 passes between two rollers 34 and 36. When one or both of the rollers. in this embodiment roller 36, is driven by a motor 38 the material 30 advances through the head and along a feeding bar 40 which may be of any convenient length.

The paper 30 then advances past a knife 42 and onto the top of a stack of papers 43. After a given time has elapsed the knife 42 is rotated by the shaft 44 to cut the paper. A solenoid 46 within the head 24 is activated to rotate the shaft 44. A spring 47 biases the knife 42 in the normal position shown in FIG. 2 so that after the paper material 30 has been cut the knife 42 returns to that position.

The improved device 21 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has the distinct advantage of ease in loading a new roll of tab material in that it is unnecessary to open the head 24 to thread the new roll of paper through the device. The end of a new roll of paper can be merely inserted between the rollers 34 and 36 and the motor 38 operated until the paper advances past the knife 42 at which time the motor can be shut off and the knife 42 used to remove material extending beyond the knife 42. Thereafter the device 21 is ready to operate and it is only necessary to set the counter and commence operating the machine which is stacking the items being grouped.

A variety of devices can be used to indicate to the counter 54 that a sheet has been stacked including a microswitch mounted on the reel arm of the stacking device or a photoelectric eye and cell disposed so that each sheet of paper which is stacked momentarily cuts the beam, the light thereby creating an electrical pulse. Alternatively, a small switch can be disposed above the stack of sheets 43 so that it is closed or opened by contact with each sheet as it is placed on the stack. However, a microswitch mounted on an arm or in a similar position on the press or stacking device has a number of advantages and is preferred.

On the exterior of the head 24 a number of switches, knobs, buttons or the like which can be used to fully control the operation of the device can be mounted. The number of sheets to be counted as one group can be set for example on a dial so that the counter will count until that number is reached and then produce a suitable signal which causes the motor 38 to advance the strip 30 and place a tab atop the pile 43. Also, the length of the tab can be altered by setting another control mechanism such as a dial which changes the length of time during which the feed motor advances the tab and hence the length of the tab. Also, the time between the placing of the tab on the stack 43 and the operation of the knife 42 to cut the paper strip 30 can be altered as desired by operating an exterior control. Several other control mechanisms can also be mounted conveniently on the exterior of the head 24.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3 which shows a block diagram of the circuit 25 and other elements for performing the counting, feeding and cutoff functions described above for the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the stacking of each individual sheet of paper is recorded by the closing or opening of a switch 50, but as mentioned above, any suitable type of switch or device can be used.

The closing or opening of switch 50 indicating that a sheet has been placed atop the stacks 43 then activates a Schmidt Trigger circuit 52 which produces a short electrical pulse of any chosen width which is conveyed to the counter 54 which can be of any suitable type. Since the Schmidt Trigger 52 produces only one output signal for each opening or closing of the switch 50, the device 21 will not continue blindly counting should a malfunction cause the switch 50 to freeze in one position. One pulse only will be produced for each sheet stacked.

The counter 54 has been preset for example by means of an exterior dial on the head 24 to produce another electrical signal each time the number set to be in one group coincides with the number of accumulated pulses received from the Schmidt Trigger 52. This pulse producing action by the counter 54 upon reaching the set number is represented in FIG. 3 by the closing of an internal switch 56. The counter 54 then begins to count again, repeating this pulse producing action represented by the closing of switch 56 when the preset count is once again reached.

Closing switch 56 in turn activates the time circuit 58 resulting in certain electrical connections which cause the electrical motor 38 to operate and to rotate the roller 36 and thereby to advance the paper strip 30 through the device 21 and atop the pile of sheets 43 during a variable time interval. However, at the end of the variable time interval, the timer circuit 58 abruptly terminates the power to the motor 38 causing it to cease advancing the paper strip 30. This variable time interval which in fact determines the length of the marking tab placed atop the pile 43 can for example be determined by setting a variable resistor 62 by a external dial on the head 24 or by any other suitable arrangement.

Power to the motor 38 may be simply ended to stop the advance of the paper strip 30 or a brake 63 may be activated by electrical connections made by the timer 58 at the end of the variable time interval to stop the motor immediately without coasting. Using a brake considerably improves the uniformity of length of the paper tabs inserted since any overtravel of the motor 38 varies somewhat with the frictional resistance of the paper and hence the tab length varies slightly as the roll of paper shrinks with use.

Also, at the end of the variable time interval time delay circuit 64 is activated so that after another variable time delay has elapsed the knife solenoid 46 is activated to rotate the shaft 44 and operate the knife 42 to cut the strip 30. Since the time between the placing of the paper strip 30 atop the pile 43 and the activation of the solenoid 46 determines the number of sheets which will be piled on top of the paper strip 30 before cutting, this time delay of time delay circuit 64 can be set to any given value so that any given number of sheets will be piled on top of the strip 30 before cutting. The number of sheets necessary to hold the tab between the sheets of course varies with the type of paper, length of the tab and several other variables so that the ability to alter this time increases the ability of the device 21 to adapt itself to any given situation.

Furthermore, the feed switch 70 which merely represents a means of operating the motor 38 without disturbing the counter 54 can be closed at any time to cause the motor to advance the strip 30 atop the stack 43 or to advance the end of a new roll of paper through the device 21. The closing of switch 70 then causes the motor 38 to operate and'at the end of that operation which continues as long as the switch 70 remains closed causes the knife solenoid 46 to operate the knife 42. Therefore, a tab can be inserted at any time, for example to note an imperfect sheet or a machine malfunction etc., without altering the count. As discussed above the ease in loading a new roll of material results because the end can be merely threaded between the rollers 34 and 36 manually and the motor operated by closing switch 70 until the strip 30 extends beyond the knife 42.

Also, a skip count mechanism 72 can be used to remove any number of sheets and then cause the counter 54 to cease counting for that number. Defective sheets or sample sheets can then be removed without disrupting the count of the counter 54.

The use of electronic control circuitry results in an increase in dependability and decreases in cost and size over prior art devices such as the aforementioned Lauffer device. The decrease in size allows all of the elements to be mounted in the head 24 where maintenance can be accomplished easier and the ability to withstand rough treatment enhanced.

Many changes and modifications of the above embodiment are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

lclaim: 1. A portable apparatus for counting sheets of paper being individually stacked in a pile by a separate stacking device and placing a marking tab atop the pile whenever the number of sheets stacked atop the last marking tab placed is equal to a chosen number comprising:

a portable casing; means for indicating by a first electrical signal each time a sheet of paper is stacked atop said pile; electrical counting means having means to choose said chosen number and electrically connected to said indicating means for counting the number of said first signals indicated by said indicating means and producing a second electrical signal when the count is equal to said chosen number; an electrical motor for advancing a strip of paper so that a portion of said strip is placed atop said pile; an electrical timer circuit mounted in said casing and connected to said counting means for causing said motor to operate during a given time interval determined by said timer circuit after said second signal is produced and having variable electrical means to alter said time interval of motor operation to alter the length of said marking tab; and means for cutting said strip after said portion is placed atop said strip so that a marking tab, at least a portion of which is covered by-sheets of paper subsequently stacked on tab, remains. 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 including time delay circuit means for causing said cutting means to cut said strip after a given time has elapsed after a portion of said strip is advanced atop said pile and having means to change said given time.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 including a brake associated with said motor, said brake being operated to stop said motor when said given time interval has elapsed,

, 4. Apparatus for counting sheets of paper being individually stacked in a pile and placing a marking tab atop the pile whenever the number of sheets stacked atop the last marking tab placed is equal to a chosen number comprising:

switch means for producing a first electrical signal whenever a sheet is stacked atop said pile;

pulse producing means connected to said switch means for producing an electrical pulse each time said switch means produces said first electrical signal;

counting means having means for choosing said chosen number and connected to said pulse producing means for counting the number of said pulses produced and producing a second electrical signal when the count is equal to said chosen number;

a strip of paper;

a pair of rollers having said strip of paper disposed between them so that the rotation of said rollers causes said strip of paper to advance so that a portion of said strip is atop said pile;

an electrical motor for causing said rollers to rotate;

a timer circuit connected to said counting means for causing said motor to operate, and thereby to cause said rollers to i, rotate, during a given time interval and having means to alter said time interval;

a brake associated with said motor and connected to said timer circuit for causing said motor to stop at the end of said time interval;

knife means for cutting said strip after said portion is atop said pile so that a marking tab remains, a portion of said tab being covered by subsequently stacked sheets;

solenoid means for causing said knife means to cut said strip; and

time delay circuit means for causing said solenoid means to cause said knife means to cut said strip after a given time has elapsed after said portion is advanced atop said pile and having means to change said given time,

5. Apparatus for counting sheets of paper being stacked in a pile and placing a marking tab atop the pile whenever the number of sheets stacked atop the last marking tab placed is equal to a chosen number comprising:

switch means for producing a first electrical signal when a sheet is stacked atop said pile and pulse producing means connected to said switch means for producing a pulse having given characteristics each time said switch means produces said first electrical signal;

counting means having means to choose said chosen number and electrically connected to said pulse producing means for counting the number of said first signals produced by said switch means and producing a second electrical signal when the count is equal to said chosen number;

an electrical motor for advancing a strip of paper so that a portion of said strip is placed atop said pile;

a timer circuit connected to said counting means for causing said motor to operate during a given time interval and having means to alter said time interval to alter the length of said marking tab;

means for cutting said strip after said portion is placed atop said strip so that a marking tab, at least a portion of which is covered by sheets of paper subsequently stacked on said tab, remains; and

time delay circuit means for causing said cutting means to out said strip after a given time has elapsed after a portion of said strip is advanced atop said pile and having means to change said given time. 

1. A portable apparatus for counting sheets of paper being individually stacked in a pile by a separate stacking device and placing a marking tab atop the pile whenever the number of sheets stacked atop the last marking tab placed is equal to a chosen number comprising: a portable casing; means for indicating by a first electrical signal each time a sheet of paper is stacked atop said pile; electrical counting means having means to choose said chosen number and electrically connected to said indicating means for counting the number of said first signals indicated by said indicating means and producing a second electrical signal when the count is equal to said chosen number; an electrical motor for advancing a strip of paper so that a portion of said strip is placed atop said pile; an electrical timer circuit mounted in said casing and connected to said counting means for causing said motor to operate during a given time interval determined by said timer circuit after said second signal is produced and having variable electrical means to alter said time interval of motor operation to alter the length of said marking tab; and means for cutting said strip after said portion is placed atop said strip so that a marking tab, at least a portion of which is covered by sheets of paper subsequently stacked on tab, remains.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1 including time delay circuit means for causing said cutting means to cut said strip after a given time has elapsed after a portion of said strip is advanced atop said pile and having means to change said given time.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 2 including a brake associated with said motor, said brake being operated to stop said motor when said given time interval has elapsed.
 4. Apparatus for counting sheets of paper being individually stacked in a pile and placing a marking tab atop the pile whenever the number of sheets stacked atop the last marking tab placed is equal to a chosen number comprising: switch means for producing a first electrical signal whenever a sheet is stacked atop said pile; pulse producing means connected to said switch means for producing an electrical pulse each time said switCh means produces said first electrical signal; counting means having means for choosing said chosen number and connected to said pulse producing means for counting the number of said pulses produced and producing a second electrical signal when the count is equal to said chosen number; a strip of paper; a pair of rollers having said strip of paper disposed between them so that the rotation of said rollers causes said strip of paper to advance so that a portion of said strip is atop said pile; an electrical motor for causing said rollers to rotate; a timer circuit connected to said counting means for causing said motor to operate, and thereby to cause said rollers to rotate, during a given time interval and having means to alter said time interval; a brake associated with said motor and connected to said timer circuit for causing said motor to stop at the end of said time interval; knife means for cutting said strip after said portion is atop said pile so that a marking tab remains, a portion of said tab being covered by subsequently stacked sheets; solenoid means for causing said knife means to cut said strip; and time delay circuit means for causing said solenoid means to cause said knife means to cut said strip after a given time has elapsed after said portion is advanced atop said pile and having means to change said given time.
 5. Apparatus for counting sheets of paper being stacked in a pile and placing a marking tab atop the pile whenever the number of sheets stacked atop the last marking tab placed is equal to a chosen number comprising: switch means for producing a first electrical signal when a sheet is stacked atop said pile and pulse producing means connected to said switch means for producing a pulse having given characteristics each time said switch means produces said first electrical signal; counting means having means to choose said chosen number and electrically connected to said pulse producing means for counting the number of said first signals produced by said switch means and producing a second electrical signal when the count is equal to said chosen number; an electrical motor for advancing a strip of paper so that a portion of said strip is placed atop said pile; a timer circuit connected to said counting means for causing said motor to operate during a given time interval and having means to alter said time interval to alter the length of said marking tab; means for cutting said strip after said portion is placed atop said strip so that a marking tab, at least a portion of which is covered by sheets of paper subsequently stacked on said tab, remains; and time delay circuit means for causing said cutting means to cut said strip after a given time has elapsed after a portion of said strip is advanced atop said pile and having means to change said given time. 